ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴠᴀʟꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ

₀₀₉

𝘞𝘙𝘌𝘕 𝘑𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚

I'M CLIPPING ON MY EARRING when my phone starts ringing. I look down for a second and back up at the mirror. Then I do a double take and answer the phone when I see the contact name.

"Hello, Angie." I breathe into the phone.

"Hello, Wren darling. I'm calling about your mother. More importantly, her condition. I'm afraid she's getting worse." Angie, my mother's care taker, says.

"What exactly is 'worse'?" I trace my lips with my finger as I wait for the answer.

"Her memory. Well, of course it's going to get worse because of the Alzheimer's, but it's getting worse fast." Angie's voice is soft, almost angelic. It's soothing to an extent, i'm sure that's why she's a care taker.

"What happened?" I know what this means, but I just don't want to deal with it right now.

"She's forgetting who I am, she charged at me this morning with a kitchen knife when I was walking into the house. Kept screaming, 'intruder! intruder!' I calmed her down but, it'll be difficult and potentially dangerous if this continues honey."

I feel bad for Angie. She's a nice woman, in her mid thirties, and she's been taking care of my mother since I moved out. But I don't want Angie to get hurt by my mother, I don't want anyone else to be hurt by her.

"It's okay. Call the hospital or the facility, they should take her in. Don't feel like you need to work in a dangerous environment." I mentally bang my head into a wall.

"Okay, I will call them. Thank you Wren. Take care of yourself." Angie hangs up and i'm left silently pained.

After causing years and years of torment and destruction, my mother gets the easy way of grievance. She forgets everything she used to do; the person she used to be. All the things she said and did. Yet, the person who had to withhold those things is forced to remember.

I look back in the mirror and finish putting on my earring.

__________

I walk into work five minutes early, like I do everyday, and see Gloria taking out her hair curlers.
When she sees me, she smiles wide and takes my card.

"Good morning sweetie. You look a little dull, you alright?" She smacks her gum and hands me my card back.

"Fine." I walk into the elevator, trying not to think about my mother.

The elevator stops and I walk into my-the office. Not just my office. When I open the door, I don't see anyone else in the office. So I make my way to my desk and place down my things, then I realize I forgot my coffee. After the phone call this morning I must've forgotten to grab it.

I close my eyes and deeply sigh. Then I push the whole morning to the back of my head and walk over to the coffee pot on top of a table.

It's already brewed.

As i'm pouring myself a cup, a body leans on the table and I almost jump. Almost.

Rhys stands with his feet and arms crossed, holding a cup of coffee in one of his crossed hands. His dress shirt is pressed today, no wrinkles that I can see. He smells faintly like fresh laundry, and a hint of peppermint.

"Good morning, Miss James." Rhys sips his coffee and I nod; acknowledging his presence.

I turn from the table to make my way to the desk when I take a sip of my coffee. I inwardly cringe. I forgot sugar. I turn around quickly, thinking of the space that should have been there, but instead I meet a hard chest.

The hard, built chest of Rhys Moore. I look up, the tip of my nose trailing a line up his chest. We're so close. Barely a hairs space between us. He's looking down at me, i'm looking up at him. Then I register the large hand sprawled on my hip. Then my hand flat against his torso. The smell of coffee envelopes me, and I look down.

A large coffee mark is staining Rhys's white button-up. Through the transparency of the shirt, where it's stained, I see what looks like writing just above his hip. A tattoo. A bath of warmth takes over my whole body and shuts down my senses. So much so, that I reach out, grip the hem of the shirt, and lift it.

𝘬 𝘪 𝘴 𝘴 𝘩 𝘦 𝘳 𝘦

I have the sudden urge to. But I regain my ability to think, to move. When my nail skims his bare skin, a sound that's borderline a groan emits from the man towering over me, I drop the shirt and look back up to peer into stormy eyes. They're darker; deeper.

The palm on my hip tightens and I have to force myself to not make a sound. Rhys looks down at his hand on me and then slowly trails his eyes back up to mine. His mouth parts, to say something, when an obnoxiously loud voice echoes through the room.

"I have the greatest news for the both of you." Fernando interrupts.

Instantly we break apart, almost like we're guilty teenagers. Whatever fog that seemed to be clogging my brain, clears and I clear my throat quietly.

"And that is?" There's a harshness to Rhys's voice, gravely somewhat.

He's standing far away from me, leaning on his desk with his arms crossed. Seeming unfazed by the stain on his shirt and whatever had just happened.

"I've arranged for the three of us to represent my company at this week's banquet. It's just a party where other companies go in hopes of making partnerships with others. And you two," He wags a finger at us, "are going."

"When is this...banquet?" I ask with dull confusion.

Fernando shrugs and pops a candy into his mouth. He turns around to exit but calls over his shoulder first. "I'll have Maxine send the details." Then he's gone. And i'm left with Rhys.

I walk over to the coffee table and simply-calmly-make myself another coffee. With sugar this time and without any interruptions.

____________________